Chapter 314: Chapter 314: Thick-skinned
Basil Xavier felt utterly baffled and wronged at this moment.
Only Stella Sterling understood what Gordon Ford meant. She said, "Whether you’re like him or not, I’ll be the judge of that in time."
’Of course, she knew there was nothing wrong with Gordon’s mind. They had known each other for so many years; she would have noticed long ago if something were amiss.’
’Of course, there was nothing wrong with Basil Xavier’s mind either, but his behavior just now really made him look like a fool.’
Upon hearing this, Gordon Ford looked as if he’d had an epiphany. He said excitedly, "Does this mean you want to spend more time with me and see what kind of person I am?"
"I’ll be on my best behavior. I definitely won’t let you down."
Watching Gordon Ford desperately seize the opportunity, so eager to prove himself, Basil Xavier, standing to the side, could hardly bear to look.
’He didn’t even know why he found this side of Gordon Ford so intimidating.’
’It was mostly because the Gordon Ford of this moment was just too different from his usual self.’
’The Gordon Ford in front of Stella Sterling and the one in front of him were like two completely different people.’
When Stella Sterling heard Gordon Ford’s baffling words, she was taken aback for a moment before bursting into laughter. ’This guy really knows how to take an inch and run a mile.’
’Was that what she meant by what she’d just said?’
’Not at all!’
’He really has a knack for twisting my words.’
She said, "Alright then, be on your best behavior."
"Don’t you worry."
Gordon Ford nodded, then asked her, "So, what do you think of my gift? Do you like it?"
"It’s great."
Stella Sterling nodded.
’Truthfully, nothing anyone could have given her right now would have made her happier than this.’
’She wasn’t short on things like food or weapons; what she truly lacked were these special materials.’
’These materials were useful for her dimension, and whatever was useful for her dimension was useful to her.’
’She had Mr. Cheney constantly helping her collect these items, and she’d also instructed the members of her base to gather any they found outside.’
’To most people out there, these things were useless now—nothing more than decorations at best.’
’In peaceful times, many people would have collected such items, but in the apocalypse, they were worthless.’
’Things that were once priceless were now worth less than a pack of instant noodles.’
’Which worked out perfectly for her.’
A smile spread across Gordon Ford’s face when he heard Stella was pleased.
’As long as she liked it, that was all that mattered.’
’He had originally planned to give her something else, but then he’d learned she was collecting these things.’
’So he’d had his men gather a large batch and brought it all with him this time.’
’And it was clear she really did like them a lot.’
’When he got back, he would assign a team from his base to specialize in collecting these materials from now on.’
As the couple’s attention finally shifted away from him, Basil Xavier breathed an inward sigh of relief.
He quickly stood up and said to them, "I’ll let you two talk. This is my first time at Caeluna Base, so I’d like to have a look around."
’The main thing was, he just didn’t want to be here anymore. It was terrifying. One wrong move and he could offend either of them.’
’He figured he’d better get out of there, and fast.’
After speaking, he left on his own. ’Anyway, there are people outside. I’ll just have them show me around a bit.’
As Basil Xavier was about to leave, Stella Sterling called out, "Go ahead and look around, but you’d better have someone with you. Don’t just wander off. If something happens and you get yourself killed, you can’t blame me."
"I know, I know. Thanks for the concern."
Basil Xavier gave a casual reply and left without another moment’s delay.
When Stella Sterling turned back, she saw Gordon Ford staring at her with a wounded expression. She raised an eyebrow. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I can’t help but feel you care about him more than you care about me. What am I supposed to do? I’m jealous."
Gordon Ford looked at her pitifully.
Upon hearing that, Stella Sterling rolled her eyes at him. "You call *that* concern?"
’Does he have some kind of misunderstanding about the meaning of the word ’concern’?’
’She was just worried he might die here and cause trouble for her, alright?’
’Could there really be something wrong with Gordon Ford’s head?’
’There was certainly nothing wrong with him in the past, but she and Gordon had been separated for so many years, after all.’
’This was the apocalypse, and so much had happened. It wasn’t entirely out of the question that something had gone wrong with his mind.’
Seeing Stella Sterling’s expression, Gordon Ford knew she was letting her imagination run wild. He quickly spoke up, "Don’t think that about me. My mind is perfectly normal; there’s nothing wrong with it at all."
"I was just complaining on purpose to get you to show me a little more concern, to pay a little more attention to me."
He felt a little helpless. He knew he was being childish, but what choice did he have? The woman he liked had become so hard-hearted now.
’If I don’t do more, if I don’t find a way to make a breakthrough, what other choice do I have?!’
’He felt that even though the current Stella had let her guard down a little and no longer avoided him like before, she still seemed completely indifferent to him.’
’If he didn’t take the initiative, didn’t actively seek out opportunities to interact with her and grow closer...’
’...he felt that as far as Stella was concerned, she wouldn’t mind if they maintained this relationship for the rest of their lives. She would never try to change a thing.’
’So what choice did he have? He could only be more proactive, and then even more proactive.’
’He’d been acting shamelessly so often lately that he felt his skin was getting thicker and thicker in front of Stella. Many things he could never have done and words he could never have said in the past, he could now do and say without a second thought.’
After hearing this, Stella Sterling looked at him. "How come I never noticed you had such a childish side before?"
Gordon Ford shrugged and said with a helpless air, "What choice do I have? If I don’t change, I’ll never get a wife. I don’t want to be a bachelor for the rest of my life."
Before Stella Sterling could respond, he quickly added, "And don’t even think about telling me to find someone else. For my whole life, I’ve set my heart on you."
Hearing this, Stella Sterling just gave a casual smile. "Don’t talk about setting your heart on me for a lifetime. A lifetime is too long, and full of too many uncertainties. No one can predict the future. You might feel that way today, but who knows, one day you might change your mind."
"In this world, people’s hearts are fickle. Promises are the cheapest, most unreliable things of all. They can change in an instant!"
